DOUGLAS COUNTY —During a 24-hour period this week, the Lawrence Kansas Police Department has made two notable arrests involving two separate rape cases, one dating back to 2009, according to a media release from police.
Detectives arrested 37-year-old Matthew Lawrence on Wednesday September 9, 2026, and 36-year-old Steven Snow early Thursday morning. Both men are Lawrence residents.
The case involving suspect Matthew Lawrence dates back to 2009 when a 20-year-old woman says she was attacked from behind and brutally assaulted while walking home at night. The woman reported the case at the time and investigators gathered evidence which did not return any suspects.
In July of this year, a detective in LKPD’s Special Victim’s Unit reviewed the cold case and resubmitted evidence to be DNA tested. This time, a suspect was identified and the man was taken into custody.
In the affidavit submitted to the District Attorney’s office for charging consideration, Detective Joshua Leitner writes, “The KBI reported the DNA is a match with a statistical likelihood of one in 848 trillion [.…] consistent with Matthew Lawrence.” (portion of quote redacted specifies the location of the sample)
The allegations against Steven Snow involve the rape of a minor. Details of this second arrest will be withheld to protect witnesses and victims.